The Kumon Coalition
How Zohran Mamdani Paved a Path To Victory
When Zohran Mamdani first announced his run for New York City mayor, few took notice of the staunch progressive polling at about 1%. As the campaign went on, he surged to a strong second-place, aided by a strong media presence, a relentless ground game, and an alliance with Brad Lander, the other progressive in the race. Zohran was met with strong opposition, with super PACs allied with Andrew Cuomo spending more than $25 million, blanketing the airwaves with ads and sending mailers to thousands of doors. By election day, Mamdani was still a slight underdog, but his campaign triggered a surge in youth turnout to levels previously unseen in modern electoral history.
As the first wave of returns came in, Zohran took an immediate but expected nine-point lead due to his strength with early voters. As the mail-in ballots and election-day results were reported, everyone was expecting disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo to close the gap and take the lead. But Mamdani’s support stayed consistent. Zohran outperformed all expectations and ended up leading by about 7% (about 70,000 votes) after the votes were counted. It is now all but certain that Zohran Mamdani will be the next Democratic nominee for mayor: a fitting conclusion to an extraordinary campaign.
We explained more about what Zohran stands for in our previous piece profiling him; but his campaign can be defined by his signature campaign promises of a rent freeze and making buses “fast and free.” It was also defined by his ability to turn out young progressives in droves while also reaching voters beyond the traditional progressive base; especially South and East Asian voters.
For years, Asian voters have been a reliable base of the Democratic party; more recently, however, that has started to change. The 2024 election saw a sharp rightward shift for Asian voters of all stripes, seen in neighborhoods such as Flushing, Bensonhurst, Glen Oaks, and Morris Park. Because of his family background, Zohran was expected to make inroads among South Asian voters, which he did. He released Hindi and Bengali language ads along with forming an extensive community outreach program (aided by an army of 50,000 volunteers). His investment in South Asian communities paid off, as they turned out in droves. In plurality Bangladeshi areas in Jamaica and Ozone Park, Zohran won precincts with upwards of 80% of the vote. In areas with large Indian and Indo-Guyanese populations such as in South Richmond Hill and Glen Oaks, Mamdani was winning by more than a 20-point margin; something that was unheard of in typically moderate and conservative Democrat territory.
Image Courtesy of Queens Daily Eagle
One of the shocks of the evening was Mamdani’s overperformance among East Asian voters, another demographic generally friendly to moderate Democrats like Andrew Cuomo. He courted the endorsement of State Senator John Liu, with whom he featured in a Chinese language ad. When the results came in, Zohran ended up having a good performance in areas such as Manhattan’s Chinatown, Sunset Park, and Flushing; the very same areas that had swung towards Trump by thirty points last November.
Image courtesy of the Financial Times
Throughout the campaign, Zohran had been underestimated by the political establishment, who all lined up to endorse a disgraced former governor mounting his political comeback. He rose from obscurity to the nomination through both a strong ground game and a vibrant social media presence. His campaign ensured that his progressive base of young voters turned out in record numbers; those under 30 accounted for a quarter of the electorate, an unprecedented milestone in electoral history. His “Kumon Coalition” of South and East Asian voters ended up making a significant impact on the race, ultimately tipping the scales in his favor. Zohran Mamdani’s campaign has proven several things: that voters want to be inspired by their elected officials and that it is possible for progressives to overcome a $20 million spending deficit. Lastly, though equally significant, Zohran’s campaign proved that continued outreach to diverse communities is not only possible, but necessary in order to win.
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We at SAATH are proud to have endorsed Zohran Mamdani for mayor and we wish him best of luck in the general. He is an inspiration to millions across the country and proof that South Asian candidates can not only hold their own, but overperform even when the cards are stacked against them. SAATH strives to empower South Asian youth through online education and hands-on political involvement. You can support our efforts by donating here or by subscribing to our Substack.